by Catherine Shaffer
Keeping track of samples in the laboratory and in the freezer
can be tedious, difficult, and even painful. And when the sample numbers are in the tens of thousands, you can add impossible to the list if you are using manual methods. In the era of high throughput screening, computerized sample management is a must. That old clipboard on top of the chest freezer is simply not going to work anymore.
The most straightforward solution is a freezer organizer application, like ezFreezer, a multi-platform, web-based client/server application from ATGC Labs. With ezFreezer, a researcher can enter samples into the database using one of the 30 standard sample templates, and use an intuitive graphical user interface to navigate the database to find or edit sample entries. Other features include sharing, data import and export, and collaboration. Says Pavel Bolotov, ATGC spokesman, “In an era when there have been significant advancements with regard to scientific research methods, including the use of robotics and other laboratory automation, ezFreezer is dedicated to the next generation of asset management."
Manufacturing Applications eXperts (MAX) also offers a freezer tracking product, MAX freezer tracking. MAX offers two types of freezer trackers, one that is based on UPC codes, and one based on individual serial numbers. The latter product has greater applicability in the life sciences market, because the individual serial number offers the greatest traceability and audit control. The system incorporates a handheld scanner that will not only read the barcodes on the samples, but will display on its screen a visual image of the location of the box on the rack. This gives the system the important advantage of not being tied to the desktop computer, and not requiring the intermediary of manual data entry, which introduces human error. MAX freezer has been used for databases from 50,000 to 800,000 samples.
Ed Withee, president of MAX, explains: "We come at it from the manufacturing standpoint rather than a pure laboratory standpoint. In the last three years, operations in laboratories have moved away from a bunch of cowboys that do it in their own way, to a more people-dependent, controlled process ... you can't allow people to go off and grab samples any way they want."
The next level of organization and workflow integration beyond sample storage databases is a full laboratory information management system (LIMS). A LIMS integrates laboratory analytical instruments such as the HPLC or the mass spectrometer with a desktop PC. Many life sciences research organizations have developed their own LIMS; however, commercial LIMS are now available from a number of technology sources. These systems often incorporate sample management software seamlessly into the laboratory work flow.
The LabCollector by AgileBio, first released in 2002, is one such system. It is a web-based framework comprised of modular tools for a variety of lab data, samples, stocks, and information management that offers many of the same advantages of other sample storage systems, such as web interface, barcode scanning, sharing capability, and relational database structure. It is also much more economical than other commercial LIMS because it is based on open-source technology.
LabCollector has been applied to the management of reagents and cells and strains/stocks, as well as biological samples. Wireless PDA support and barcode reader capability give access to the database from inside the nitrogen tank room or any other location in the company space, not just in front of the PC. Says Pierre Rodrigues, PhD, "It allows collaborative work as everybody reaches information quickly and from anywhere in the lab. There is no need to manually go through records, but instead it points directly to the correct information in seconds by keyword search or direct barcode reading. It also allows information consistency and longevity in the lab. The relational database gives the power of crossing data, which is impossible in the old way or even in simple spreadsheets."
Sample management systems also come in the form of fully automated laboratory storage systems. The Automation Partnership includes sample management as modular platform technologies within its automated sample storage systems: Home Base, Polar, and Solar. An automated sample storage system uses robots to shelve and retrieve samples stored in special racks and carousels, and is the ultimate marriage between information technology and sample storage. The technology is custom built for each customer. Says TAP Spokesman Matthew Walker: "TAP's key strength is that we are the only company in the world to offer a full portfolio of sample management, screening, and cell culture systems and services (hardware, software, consultancy, and support). So we can design, install, and support large-scale discovery and screening facilities using our own hardware and software. A good example is the discovery/screening facility we have installed at Wyeth."
Increases in processor speed over the past twenty years have driven the development of technology solutions for managing laboratory information and samples, creating tools that can handle millions of samples for today's high throughput laboratories. Likewise, researchers can expect technology advances to translate into improved sample management tools in the future. MAX is looking forward to having its freezer tracker more completely web-based, reducing the tedium and "pain" of data entry, and increasing speed while maintaining the integrity of the system. AgileBio is releasing new modules, such as their now available Electronic Lab Notebook. And TAP is working toward integrating client quality control systems, incorporating third party technology, upgrading to very high throughput sample storage and retrieval, and magnetic mixing for DNA solutions. Future sample management systems will reduce opportunities for human error, and increase speed and efficiency in the laboratory, even beyond what is possible now.
